How can intelligent planning and technology ease Sydney鈥檚 growing pains?
With the Sydney population projected to grow to 5.89 million people by 2031, the city's transport, public services and green spaces will be under a great deal of pressure. The University of Sydney's third Festival of Urbanism will investigate what can be done to help ease the pressure on the global city.
Iconic Buildings, collage, from the exhibition at Tin Sheds Gallery. Image courtesy of OMA.
The two-week festival from 1 to 12 August will investigate current challenges facing Sydney planning and the best ways of managing the rapid redevelopment of our global metropolis.
The University of Sydney鈥檚 , Director of the Henry Halloran Trust, the sponsor of the Festival, and Head of Urban and Regional Planning and Policy in the , said: 鈥淪ydney鈥檚 growing pains are becoming more evident to the citizens of Sydney.
鈥淪ydney鈥檚 challenge is like many global cities - how can we use smart technology, strategic investment, and smart policy to both accommodate growth and maintain Sydney鈥檚 position as one of the world鈥檚 most liveable cities,鈥� said Professor Phibbs.
In response to the Festival theme 鈥楥ity Limits鈥�, guest speakers, panels, and an will explore what impact intelligent planning and new technologies can have on rapid urban growth to help create better cities and a quality of life.
Kicking off the Festival is a by the University of Sydney鈥檚 on Smart Cities. Sarah Hill, CEO of the Greater Sydney Commission will respond to Professor Dowling and outline some of the initiatives of the Greater Sydney Commission.
In a partnership event with the Planning Institute of Australia, Patrick Fensham, winner of the 2015 NSW PIA President鈥檚 Award for planning excellence will speak on 2 August about . An urban planner of more than 30 years and lead consultant on Sustainable Sydney 2030 for the City of Sydney, Fensham is a Director of SGS Planning.
The Sydney Environment Institute including the University鈥檚 own Associate Professor Rod Simpson (the Sustainability Commissioner of the Greater Sydney Commission), will host a of civil engineering and environmental experts on 3 August. They will discuss current limitations of Sydney鈥檚 natural ecosystems and how a city can 鈥榳ork back鈥� from these environmental factors to create a more distinctive and livable city.
A Sydney Ideas talk delivered by University of Melbourne鈥檚 urban geographer Dr Kate Shaw on 8 August will look at how the culture of cities like Sydney, Melbourne and internationally have changed and evolved through social, political and planning factors. The talk, , draws on Shaw鈥檚 current research on urban renewal in the 21st century, which considers ways of improving on the renewal projects of the last 50 years.
As technology continues to take over how cities operate, three leading University of Sydney academics in law, transport and interaction design will form a on 11 August to debate how far a city should go adopting new technologies such as driverless cars. The will describe some of the risks associated with some elements of the new sharing economy.
A forerunner to the Festival of Urbanism, housing economist Professor Geoff Meen from the University of Reading in the UK will deliver the on Wednesday, 27 July. Meen will discuss the housing affordability crisis, looking at the problem from an international stance by comparing the UK and Australian housing markets and revealing some common solutions.
The full program including several other events is here. Most events are free but bookings are essential as seats are limited.
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